This was the second Catholic church to be built in the town. It was erected in 1905-06 by Mr. N.J. King of Stratford and designed by the Stratford architect, Mr. John D. Healy.
It was originally located adjacent to the first Catholic church near the Recreation Grounds (Taumata Park). In 1914 both the churches were moved from this site to their present location on Stanners Street.
Once established on the new site the church had a new porch added and it was extended by twenty feet.
In 1967 Albert (Scotty) McGrath and Wilf Bennett built the new foyer on the front of the church at a cost of £6,450.00.
Further reading: History of St Joseph's Eltham Parish & School 1898-1998, Alison Crafar. (TRCT282.93488 CRA) and Eltham Heritage Inventory.
Please do not reproduce these images without permission from Puke Ariki.
Contact us for more information or you can order images online here.
The information on this website is provided for general research and reference only. While we try to keep content accurate and current, we make no guarantees about its completeness or correctness. It should not be considered a replacement for a LIM or a Property Report. Some content is supplied by third parties. Puke Ariki has not verified this content and users should check its accuracy before relying on it.The inclusion of a building on the website does not imply heritage status. See SCHED1 in the NPDC District Plan for a list of buildings that have rules about what can happen to or around them (administered by NPDC). See the New Zealand Heritage List for a list of buildings that are celebrated for their heritage significance but are not subject to rules (administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga). Should any corrections need to be made to the records or for more information please contact us.